After a scandal in which schools refused to enroll Ethiopian children, Petah Tikva continues to have a contentious year as yet again Ethiopians allegedly face discrimination in the city. The marriage registrar of the religious council of Petah Tikva, Aryeh Sapir, allegedly refused to wed an Ethiopian couple based on an "order from on high."

Sapir was seemingly referring to orders that came from his superior, the head Sephardi rabbi of the city, Benjamin Attias, the figure responsible for matters related to marriage. This is not the first time Ethiopian immigrants have accused the city’s religious council of discrimination on these grounds, however, Rabbi Attias asserted that these claims were baseless.